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Friday, September 26, 2014

Counting my blessings

disclaimer: my brain is a little bit slow these past couple of days, so I am sorry if this doesn't make any sense.

At the start of this week I was feeling a little bit weird. It was sort of a twilight zone feeling. I felt like I was in between two different worlds in a way. I felt like wasn't really a missionary and then at the same time I didn't feel like a real person. My brain was just spinning in cirlces in confusion and a little bit of anxiety realizing that this is my last transfer as a missionary.

But then we began to our day and we went outside. We had lessons with three very different people. At that moment everything changed. I remembered my purpose. That is when my day changed. We were teaching an ex-investigator and as she was speaking a question kept popping into my mind and so I asked her that question. I asked her, " tu sei felice con la tua vita?". As I said that she just kind of stared at me in confusion, but I think it made her think.

We decided to passby this woman and she happened to be at home. The women that we saw literally has faced more trials in her life than I could every even comprehend. She had all of her teeth pulled out because she has a tumor in her mouth and lots of others sad stories from her life. As she opened her mouth and showed me that she had no teeth in her mouth I began to cry as she told us about the pain that she felt. But she has the greatest faith I have seen in a person. She understood that these trials that she has faced were for her good and it amazed me to see that in a person. She found the church through her son who was looking for the true church of God. But sadly her son died when he was only 15 years old. She just looked at us and said, " I know that I will see my son again someday!". The faith that this woman had made me feel so much joy to know that even though she is struggling she has the faith in our savior that everything will be okay oneday.

Lastly we saw our phillipino family who I love to teach. As we taught them there was such a warm and calm spririt during the whole lesson. They realized that I will be leaving next month and they started to cry. The husband said,"After my wife met you on the metro she told me about you and the light that was in your eyes." I began to cry (I am sorry I feel like I cry in every story that I tell these days) as they said this realizing that I was supposed to find this sweet family here in Milano. I realized that this is what I am supposed to be doing. I am here to help these people find the light and joy that the gospel brings. It has brought light into my life and I am here to help others to feel of that light as well.

After this day I felt so good. I am so happy to have 5 more weeks to be a missionary because I am going to miss it. This has been my life for almost a year and a half and it has changed me. I am so grateful for this gospel and I know that this is what brings light into our lives.

I am so grateful for my family because they have sustained me through and through on my mission. I recieved a cute little minature letter from them this week and I again realized how blessed I am to have the parents and siblings that I have. I love you all so much and I can't even begin to tell you how much I appreciate your words to me.

Two days ago I got sick with a fever and stuffy nose because me went into a home where there were lots of animals running around. Dogs rubbing themselves on my leg, but I am doing better now. The Lord is blessing me with strength to keep doing his work each day even when I am exhausted.

This week I was reading in the Book of Mormon in Mormon 9:33-34 and Ether 3:22and it was a testimony to me of the trueness of the Book of Mormon. I know that only through and by the power of God was this book translated and now we can recieve so many blessings from this book.

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

-Matthew 11:28-30

"Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come."